Health Care

[Cleo's Mom 257]

More religious stuff.:thumbup: You know what I've noticed? It's become increasingly hard for you to defend your positions because they are indefensible. That is why your postings have become increasingly silly, confusing, and just wrong.

You said the recent violence from the teaparty was only in my mind.

You say you don't stand with the insurance industry but when you want the status quo where they are in the driver's seat, that is exactly what you do.

And you have to post some long religious piece to try to make a case against healthcare.

BTW, this healthcare victory has energized the democratic base. After Scott (nude centerfold) Brown got elected many thought that was the end of the democratic momentum. But he actually energized the base and now 76% of the democrats are energized to vote in November compared to 75% of the republicans.

[pattygreen 5]

Wanted: Straight Talk

It's how abortion morphed into a choice; illegal immigrants into undocumented workers; the war on terror into the overseas contingency operation; prisons into correctional facilities; stimulus into jobs bill; lesbians into women in sensible shoes. Euphemisms have corrupted the language, and nowhere are they heard more than in the halls of government, where politicians use them to cloak or distort their true intentions. Hence, the government's socialistic seizure of one-sixth of the economy is framed as health-care reform.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Wanted: Straight Talk

. Hence, the government's socialistic seizure of one-sixth of the economy is framed as health-care reform.

Whew! And not a moment too soon in my opinion.

Edited March 30, 2010 by Cleo's Mom

[LeighaMason 19]

Patty,

You are willing to let people die to save some money. End of story. This is not a Christian attitude, period. The bible warns us of fake Prophets.

[tdslf1 0]

She's in a corner and she's swinging. Even as her arms fell off weeks ago and knees buckle at the strong sway of the wind. SHe's apparently did not hear the unclogging of the prison cell lock. Health care key turned last tuesday.

[pattygreen 5]

Patty,

You are willing to let people die to save some money. End of story. This is not a Christian attitude, period. The bible warns us of fake Prophets.

People die every day. It's a fact of life. No one likes it, but you can't help the world. Everyday people die in car accidents. Should we advocate that there be no more cars on the road because of it. People are DYING in car accidents! Let's regulate it!

I have plenty of money, and can afford to pay for my share of what this HC bill cost America. I am not against it because I, personally, want to save money. It will cost this country a detrimental, unsustainable amount of funds that can NOT be paid in the long run. I fear for my childrens future, for they will not be able to afford the cost of living because of it. Everything from milk, gasoline, childcare, rents, etc. will rise. I am against anything that brings the govenerment closer and closer to socialism. I am against it because it it takes one more chunk out of our freedom. It gives the government yet another piece of my life to regulate.

[pattygreen 5]

1. You are young and don't want health insurance? You are starting up a small business and need to minimize expenses, and one way to do that is to forego health insurance? Tough. You have to pay $750 annually for the "privilege." (Section 1501)

2. You are young and healthy and want to pay for insurance that reflects that status? Tough. You'll have to pay for premiums that cover not only you, but also the guy who smokes three packs a day, drink a gallon of whiskey and eats chicken fat off the floor. That's because insurance companies will no longer be able to underwrite on the basis of a person's health status. (Section 2701).

3. You would like to pay less in premiums by buying insurance with lifetime or annual limits on coverage? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer such policies, even if that is what customers prefer. (Section 2711).

4. Think you'd like a policy that is cheaper because it doesn't cover preventive care or requires cost-sharing for such care? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer policies that do not cover preventive services or offer them with cost-sharing, even if that's what the customer wants. (Section 2712).

5. You are an employer and you would like to offer coverage that doesn't allow your employees' slacker children to stay on the policy until age 26? Tough. (Section 2714).

6. You must buy a policy that covers ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventive and wellness services; chronic disease management; and pediatric services, including oral and vision care.

You're a single guy without children? Tough, your policy must cover pediatric services. You're a woman who can't have children? Tough, your policy must cover maternity services. You're a teetotaler? Tough, your policy must cover substance abuse treatment. (Add your own violation of personal freedom here.) (Section 1302).

[pattygreen 5]

. Do you want a plan with lots of cost-sharing and low premiums? Well, the best you can do is a "Bronze plan," which has benefits that provide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to 60% of the full actuarial value of the benefits provided under the plan. Anything lower than that, tough. (Section 1302 (d)(1)(A))

8. You are an employer in the small-group insurance market and you'd like to offer policies with deductibles higher than $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families? Tough. (Section 1302 © (2) (A).

9. If you are a large employer (defined as at least 50 employees) and you do not want to provide health insurance to your employee, then you will pay a $750 fine per employee (It could be $2,000 to $3,000 under the reconciliation changes). Think you know how to better spend that money? Tough. (Section 1513).

10. You are an employer who offers health flexible spending arrangements and your employees want to deduct more than $2,500 from their salaries for it? Sorry, can't do that. (Section 9005 (i)).

11. If you are a physician and you don't want the government looking over your shoulder? Tough. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to use your claims data to issue you reports that measure the resources you use, provide information on the quality of care you provide, and compare the resources you use to those used by other physicians. Of course, this will all be just for informational purposes. It's not like the government will ever use it to intervene in your practice and patients' care. Of course not. (Section 3003 (i))

12. If you are a physician and you want to own your own hospital, you must be an owner and have a "Medicare provider agreement" by Feb. 1, 2010. (Dec. 31, 2010 in the reconciliation changes.) If you didn't have those by then, you are out of luck. (Section 6001 (i) (1) (A)).

13. If you are a physician owner and you want to expand your hospital? Well, you can't (Section 6001 (i) (1) (. Unless, it is located in a county where, over the last five years, population growth has been 150% of what it has been in the state (Section 6601 (i) (3) ( E)). And then you cannot increase your capacity by more than 200% (Section 6001 (i) (3) ©).

[pattygreen 5]

14. You are a health insurer and you want to raise premiums to meet costs? Well, if that increase is deemed "unreasonable" by the Secretary of Health and Human Services it will be subject to review and can be denied. (Section 1003)

15. The government will extract a fee of $2.3 billion annually from the pharmaceutical industry. If you are a pharmaceutical company what you will pay depends on the ratio of the number of brand-name drugs you sell to the total number of brand-name drugs sold in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the brand-name drugs in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2.3 billion, or $230,000,000. (Under reconciliation, it starts at $2.55 billion, jumps to $3 billion in 2012, then to $3.5 billion in 2017 and $4.2 billion in 2018, before settling at $2.8 billion in 2019 (Section 1404)). Think you, as a pharmaceutical executive, know how to better use that money, say for research and development? Tough. (Section 9008 ().

16. The government will extract a fee of $2 billion annually from medical device makers. If you are a medical device maker what you will pay depends on your share of medical device sales in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the medical devices in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2 billion, or $200,000,000. Think you, as a medical device maker, know how to better use that money, say for R&D? Tough. (Section 9009 (:frown:).

The reconciliation package turns that into a 2.9% excise tax for medical device makers. Think you, as a medical device maker, know how to better use that money, say for research and development? Tough. (Section 1405).

17. The government will extract a fee of $6.7 billion annually from insurance companies. If you are an insurer, what you will pay depends on your share of net premiums plus 200% of your administrative costs. So, if your net premiums and administrative costs are equal to 10% of the total, you will pay 10% of $6.7 billion, or $670,000,000. In the reconciliation bill, the fee will start at $8 billion in 2014, $11.3 billion in 2015, $1.9 billion in 2017, and $14.3 billion in 2018 (Section 1406).Think you, as an insurance executive, know how to better spend that money? Tough.(Section 9010 ( (1) (A and .)

[pattygreen 5]

18. If an insurance company board or its stockholders think the CEO is worth more than $500,000 in deferred compensation? Tough.(Section 9014).

19. You will have to pay an additional 0.5% payroll tax on any dollar you make over $250,000 if you file a joint return and $200,000 if you file an individual return. What? You think you know how to spend the money you earned better than the government? Tough. (Section 9015).

That amount will rise to a 3.8% tax if reconciliation passes. It will also apply to investment income, estates, and trusts. You think you know how to spend the money you earned better than the government? Like you need to ask. (Section 1402).

20. If you go for cosmetic surgery, you will pay an additional 5% tax on the cost of the procedure. Think you know how to spend that money you earned better than the government? Tough. (Section 9017).

[pattygreen 5]

If you're wondering why so many people seem so upset about the Health care bill the Democrats have forced on unwilling Americans, I can give you some ideas. The first and foremost problem is that this is a huge spending bill when the US is already massively in debt. Another major concern is that congress spent about a year working on this when its not even a top 10 priority for Americans, jobs are. The third, and most important, major concern is that the US Constitution in no place permits the US government to deal with health care or health insurance at any level.

[pattygreen 5]

Also in the bill is increased taxes on R&D for new drugs and medical equipment. Plus, for an added bonus, although an executive order presently prohibits funding in the bill from paying for abortions, President Obama can (and will) reverse that with a "stroke of the pen." So your tax dollars will go to pay for other people's abortions, something most people find reprehensible.

Basically, in lean times where there are lots of people looking for work - such as right now - its going to be too attractive for businesses to take the far cheaper route of dropping health insurance plans for their workers which cost thousands of dollars each and simply paying the $750 fine. When economic times get better, some day, the competition between businesses for good workers will make that less attractive but for now? Don't be surprised to see your company "tighten its belt" at the expense of your present health care plan.

Doubling this effect is the fact that this bill requires health care packages to cover many things you may not care about or even want. That means each individual package for businesses becomes more expensive. In fact it means you can't keep your present health care plan unless it covers all the stuff this bill forces you to take as coverage. Which means cheaper plans get more expensive.

Missing in this bill? Coverage for dentures, making the goofy story about a woman wearing her sister's dentures irrelevant to the entire discussion.

But hey, the Democrats did succeed in building a bipartisan coalition: one opposing the bill. (Christopher Taylor)

[LeighaMason 19]

Patty guess what? You can continue your health care was"forced on unwilling Americans" & "unconstitutional" theme all you want and I will continue my theme of Bush's war was "forced on unwilling Americans" & "unconstitutional" and guess what? They have about the same price tag so for my money would I rather have health care that saves lives or a war that takes them? Hum....Let me think about it.

Edited March 30, 2010 by LeighaMason
forgot to spell check!

[ariscus99 1]

Patty guess what? You can continue your health care was"forced on unwilling Americans" & "unconstitutional" theme all you want and I will continue my theme of Bush's war was "forced on unwilling Americans" & "unconstitutional" and guess what? They have about the same price tag so for my money would I rather have health care that saves lives or a war that takes them? Hum....Let me think about it.

I thought obamacare was deficit neutral and not going to cost us anything? And hey, were gonna magically double our exports too so everything will be alright.

[LeighaMason 19]

I thought obamacare was deficit neutral and not going to cost us anything? And hey, were gonna magically double our exports too so everything will be alright.

Deflection